2022 brought us many memorable stories — some uplifting, others heartbreaking. It was a year of reasons to smile, reasons to mourn, and moments to remember.
The kingpin and the informant
If Kenna Waterman is to ever find out who shot and killed her son, Joshua S. Bressette, that day might come only after police reckon with the case of Ernest A. Harvin. This is a story about a drug dealer, a police informant and an unsolved killing.
EAGLE INVESTIGATIONS: If Kenna Waterman is to ever find out who shot and killed her son, Joshua S. Bressette, that day might come only after police reckon with the case of Ernest A. Harvin. This is a story about a drug dealer, a police informant and an unsolved killing.
How can calls for help end in a person getting killed?
Every day, Elina Estrella and her family think about the what ifs.
What if her brother, Miguel Estrella, who was shot and killed by a Pittsfield police officer on March 25, had been helped by a mental health professional who was trained in de-escalation tactics?
What if police had been more proactive in getting Miguel the medical help that he needed that night when they first approached him?
Elina Estrella spoke Friday afternoon at a news conference in which the Berkshire district attorney announced that Pittsfield Police Officer Nicholas Sondrini would not face criminal charges in the fatal shooting of her brother.
Powerful maps
In the 1940s and 50s, the West Side’s Black and other low-income residents were the unknowing victims, in part, of a quiet government practice whose harm to their lives would continue into the present.
It wasn’t Jim Crow laws that helped lock a poverty cycle in place — those were illegal in Massachusetts.
It was a map of Pittsfield.
EAGLE INVESTIGATIONS: It wasn’t Jim Crow laws that helped lock a poverty cycle in place — those were illegal in Massachusetts. It was a map of Pittsfield. A groundbreaking report, "Redlining in Pittsfield: A Case Study," tells the story.
Final resting place
It’s was a clear morning at Section 62 in Arlington National Cemetery when a journey that took over 80 years came to an end.
Roman Sadlowski was interred at Arlington National Cemetery on Monday, giving a final resting place to the first Berkshire County veteran to die in World War II. Sadlowski was aboard the USS Oklahoma during the attack on Pearl Harbor.
Found families try to keep warm
People living on the streets of Pittsfield want more places to stay and more opportunities to get help. Until they have them, they're relying on each other as much as they can.
People living on the streets of Pittsfield want more places to stay and more opportunities to get help. Until they have them, they're relying on each other as much as they can. Eagle reporter Matt Martinez speaks with people finding shelter on North Street doorsteps; inventive people at Springside Park; and a young couple expecting a baby in March who stay warm at the library during the day.
